This may sound like an odd request but please bear withme... If you are part of a married couple, or a couple who have been livingtogether, and you have hiked the trail in whole or part (at least halfway) Iwould be grateful if you would contact me on the following matter if you feelyou could help.
My partner and I met while thru hiking the trail lastyear (2012 - we are Button and Loops), we met just a couple weeks into thetrail and not long after were inseparable. We are still going strong as acouple a year and a half later but unfortunately come from different sides ofthe pond!
We are now trying to apply for a 2 year visa for Loops tocome to live in the UK, but one of our qualifying criteria is to show evidenceof a long term, sustainable relationship akin to marriage for 2 years.Our application will be sent in April 2014, but we are counting our 8 months onthe trail as part of this time.
We are now concerned that someone with no knowledge oftrial life will find it hard to believe that living together in a double tent,being together 24 hours a day and hiking the trail with all of its trials andtribulations constitutes a situation like marriage - which is obviously viewedvery conventionally in a house with bills in joint names etc.
We are hoping to enlist a little help from empatheticmarried or coupled AT hikers who might feel they could write a short statementshowing that they have done the same as us and that it counts very much as anactivity for married people to sling a pack on their back and stroll into thewilderness for months on end!
If anyone feels they might be able to help us out, pleasefeel free to contact me. Thank you and happy trails everyone :-)